Two Boys
by SilverSeas
Summary: Short 3-parter about Akira and Takumi. "If you were a real man"... "A real man is strong, and I suffer from a weak heart… like the Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz, except I am not even a man in form… merely a boy." - Sorry for my disappearance!
1. Chapter 1

Hey guys. Sorry about disappearing for a while (a looong while) but I have some pathetic excuses that I will list for my absence from Mai-HiME: 1) The school year was ending and I really had to focus on finals and such and 2) I've become obssessed with other things as well as Mai-HiME (mainly Harry Potter and Tsubasa Chronicle!).

So, I have a short 3-parter fic about Akira and Takumi, that I actually wrote a while ago... and never got to posting it :P And if any of you have been reading my story Dearest Person I'm sorry to say that I've been slowly loosing interest in it. For the moment, it is on hold, but I might come back to it later on. I apologize again to anyone who was a fan of it!

So, enough rambling. **I don't own Mai-HiME** or it's adorable characters Akira and Takumi :). I borrowed some scenes from the anime, and they are clearly changed slightly/greatly. Don't hate me for those, some of the scenes had to be changed in order for the story to flow more easily.

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**Chapter 1:**

"Baka!" she hollers while forming her hand into a fist around the collar of my shirt. "If you were a real man you'd say something like-"

I tune out my friend for the remainder of that sentence. "_If you were a real man_," she had told me… but that's just the thing… I'm not a real man.

Akira, you have every right to be yelling at me. A real man is suppose to take responsibility, put matters into his own hands. I haven't done this. A real man is supposed to prevent his girlfriend from harm - and what do I do? I have you protect me. A real man is strong, and I suffer from a weak heart… like the Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz, except I am not even a man in form… merely a boy.

Akira, I don't deserve the love you give me, a young boy doesn't deserve such things. I should be treated in the same way as all of the other boys in our grade, ignored by the women until we are able to catch up to them.

Why haven't you ignored me?

I guess I've made it rather difficult for you to ignore my presence, for the fact that I am constantly bugging you. I have a feeling that you wanted to ignore me, and I should have let you done that- in order to prevent this feeling of pain within myself and the emotion of aggravation and pity inside of you.

I'm sorry, Akira. A real man wouldn't let the one he loves to revive his soul… that's something that a real man should provide for himself.

But I am not a real man.

Though, in my boy mind, I can work out the logic that you are better off without me. And so, I will do the manliest thing that a non-real man can do.

I will leave you be.

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I feel horrible about what I had said to Takumi.

"_If you were a real man",_ I had told him.

But, the thing is, he _is_ a real man, he's more of a man then anyone else I know! He's even more of a man then my father- a big piece of meat who cares about nothing except for showing physical strength. Sure, Takumi doesn't have the image of a man, but he has the right heart of a true man- caring, considerate, kind, loving- and he always puts others before himself.

That's the definition of a true man.

And, knowing him, Takumi probably took what I said to heart, and that in turn means that he's taken it much too seriously. I didn't mean what I said, I was merely venting my anger and attempting to snap him out of his small pit of depression- though I probably only ended up digging a deeper hole for him to bury himself into.

It just comes to show that I am not a proper lady, nor a real man. I am neither. Yes, at school, I have the image of a tough boy- almost that of a man- though, in true form, I am a young lady. However, I behave as a boy.

So, I guess, in short, I am actually a boy.

Though, if there is one thing that I've learned from my time as a boy, it is that boys care more about their friends then anything else. So, as a boy (and as Takumi's friend), I will protect him. I won't let him deny my protection. If he is a real man- and I know that he is- he will accept my invitation, though only after a bit of persuasion.

I apologize, Takumi, for the damage that I may have bestowed upon you. I will make up for my sins- I will protect you.

As a boy, I need to keep my friend safe.

As a girl, I must keep my love interest out of harm's way.

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**I'll post the next part after I get some reviews ;)**

**No flames, please.**


	2. Chapter 2

This was not in-depthly edited, so I apologize for any mistakes.

Thanks to those of you who reviewed! It makes me happy when I get reviews :)

And here is part 2!

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**Chapter 2:**

I have failed.

I knew, as she scooped me up into her arms and lead me to safety, that I had failed. I've failed to leave her alone; I have somehow remained etched into her conscience, unable to make her lose her feelings of pity towards me.

How can I undo this failure? What am I able to do in order to politely decline Akira's protection?

I could vanish from this Earth - that would surely lessen the stress weighing on her shoulders.

"_No,"_ a little voice in my head says. _"You mustn't think like that! There's got to be a way of doing it without killing yourself!"_

In that moment, I realize how selfish I am.

I know that there is only one way of ridding the barren from Akira's life- and that is by my disappearance. And, here I am, trying to think of a way of going about it without killing myself.

I want Akira to be happy, so why am I attempting to squeeze my way out of the consequences?

"Akira," I ask, "What is going on?"

The girl I've come to love side glances at me, pondering on whether or not to tell me.

I'm thankful when she does. "We're running from Nao, an evil HiME."

"Are there other HiME's?" I question.

"Yes," she then pauses, seeming like there was a detail that she wanted to add. "I am one, too."

"What do HiME's do?"

"… They protect their dearest person."

"Who's your dearest person?"

Akira stares into my eyes, I couldn't tell if she was angry or sad. "That's not important," she replies coolly.

"It's important to you, so it's important to me," I say.

"What do you mean by that?" Akira asks, seeming frightened, as if I had uncovered some secret of hers.

"I care about you a lot, Akira. If there is a person who you want to protect, then I will help you to protect that person."

Akira's eyes turn all glassy, as if she's holding back tears. "You are a real man, Takumi. But please, don't do anything stupid." Shaking her head, Akira proceeds to lead me to safe grounds. All the way there, I'm thinking.

"_I'm in the way of her protecting her dearest person. How can she protect her dearest person when she is worrying too much over me? I have to convince her that I can stand on my own two feet… I can't be getting in her way. The life of Akira's dearest person depends on me. Not only that, but Akira's soul depends on me - should her dearest person die, Akira will die inside… I cannot let that happen… I love her too much."_

I then decide to voice my concerns out to Akira.

"Akira, wait a second, I need to talk to you," I hear Takumi say. I place him on the ground, so as to speak to him with more ease. "Akira," he says once he is in a comfortable sitting position. I join him sitting on the ground. "Akira, I can't be in your way while you're on this mission," he says. "I can't have you protecting me when your dearest person's life is at stake."

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I look Takumi in the eyes- those beautiful violet eyes. How does he not understand? I shake my head, bewildered by his cluelessness. "Baka, Takumi," I say. "You're not interfering with my efforts," I continue.

"But I am, Akira. Since you're so busy saving me, you don't have time to save your dearest person and-"

"TAKUMI!" I interrupt what is sure to be a long rampage. Silence falls over my roommate. "You're my dearest person!"

The silence continues, only this time it is accompanied by Takumi's wide gaze and dropping jaw.

I sit uncomfortably across from the brunette - my cheeks turning hot and a blush forming on my face. "I-I didn't tell you before because I was afraid that if I said it out loud, then it would become reality." I start to sob. "I d-didn't want to endanger you, so I t-tried to bottle up my feelings."

"Akira-"

"I tried to push you away, but the more I tried, the closer I got to you. I never wanted to be so attached to you!"

"Akira," Takumi tries to calm me down once again, but I ignore him.

"Even when you found out that I was a girl and I was supposed to kill you, I wanted to kill you so that I wouldn't have to go through the pain of loosing you later on when I would be even more devoted to you! But I couldn't do it… I couldn't do it then and I can't do it now. I have no choice but to win… " I lift my head up slightly and nod it, reassuring myself in a way. "I will win." I can see that Takumi is trying to find something to say, but alas, he cannot find coherent phrases in his mind.

So, I ramble on.

"I tried to hurt you with words, but you're too kind and forgiving, and you always gave me numerous second chances. Whenever I did something horrible, you shrugged it off and would cheer me up with a bento or something. I hated it! I wanted you to leave me alone, go away, pick a new best friend, but at the same time I wanted you to myself. Because of my selfishness, I've put your life in danger and - Takumi, I'm so sorry!" I broke down then, bawling into his lap, letting out all of the stuffed emotions that I've kept in since the beginning of the school year; letting all of my secrets flow out.

"Akira," he tries to soothe me while rubbing my head gently.

"I love you- I'm sorry I got you into this mess."

"Shh, it's ok."

"No, it's not!"

Takumi continues to play with my hair soothingly. I continue to cry.

"I'm so stupid! Baka, baka, baka…." I whimper.

Before I know it, I'm asleep in Takumi's lap.

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**End part 2! Last part will be posted after a couple of reviews are given...**

**Thanks to everyone who reads!**

**Again, no flaming, if you please. **


	3. Chapter 3

_The last and final part. It's the shortest part though, sorry if that's a letdown! _

_And, again, Mai-HiME does NOT belong to me._

_Thank you so much to all the readers and reviewers!_

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**Chapter 3:**

As Akira's sobs start to cease, she falls into a deep slumber. I take this time to ponder on the things she had just announced to me.

"_You are a real man, but don't do anything stupid,"_ her words echo through my ears. Had she known? Did she know what my intentions were? No- she couldn't have- she'd have to be able to read me like a book… only those who are extremely close can do that… right?

"_You're my dearest person!"_ I recall her screeching to me.

Me. How? Out of all of the people in the world, how am I fortunate enough to be Akira's dearest person? How could she love me, when I am so selfish?

"_Because of my selfishness, I've put your life in danger,"_. No, Akira, you are not selfish. My life is not in danger either. Knowing that my disappearance will cause you suffering, I will fight death. I won't leave you alone.

I find it funny, how what I had thought to be selfish earlier are now the acts that define me as a true man. Perhaps I was a real man all along.

No, I hadn't been. Akira brought the man out of me- it is because of her that I am no longer a boy.

I glance down at the still snoozing girl in my lap. As I stroke her hair, I thank her. "Arigato, Akira-kun."

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**The End!**

**Comments? Critiques? Flames will upset me, so no flammies, ok?**


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